Fourteen people were injured Tuesday when a British Airways plane preparing for takeoff from Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport suddenly experienced engine failure that resulted in an intense fire. [More]
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NHTSA Investigating Chrysler Recall Remedy After Reports That Sun Visors Continue To Catch Fire
By 5.6.15
When a consumer takes their recalled vehicle to a dealer for repairs, they probably assume they won’t have the same issue with the car in the future. But that apparently hasn’t been the case when it comes to several Jeep and Dodge SUVs recalled last summer, and now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing the effectiveness of the recall remedy. [More]
Yes, Adding Gasoline And Lighter Fluid To A Birthday Cake May Increase Risk Of Setting Other Things On Fire
By 5.5.15
With the dawning of the Internet age has come an era filled with technological advances and tools that let humans talk to each other all over the world in mere seconds. And yet it has also wrought incredible stupidity, all for the sake of filming things to post on YouTube. Adding to the list of very unwise things to do for Internet fame: Adding flammable liquids to a birthday cake to make it explode — while inside the house. [More]
Lexus Recalls Nearly 423,000 Sedans Because Fuel Leaks Can Lead To Fires
By 11.21.14
The only time most consumers want to see a car catch on fire is during a high-action movie. So it’s probably for the best that Toyota issued a recall of nearly 423,000 Lexus vehicles for a fuel leak issue that increases the risk of fire. [More]
Equipment Catches Fire At Amazon Warehouse, Your Stuff Is Fine
By 11.3.14
In the early hours of Saturday morning, there was a fire at the Amazon.com fulfillment center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Warehouse workers and the local fire department were able to contain the fire, no one was injured, and none of your stuff that you haven’t ordered yet was damaged. [More]
A Bad Idea Gets Even Worse When Lit Candle In Car Sparks Fire At Gas Station
By 10.9.14
Riding around in a car with an open flame is a bad idea all on its own: Any unexpected movements or sharp turns and that candle you lit for ambiance or use when your interior lights are out is going to go flying. Flying fire is bad, but it’s perhaps an even worse idea to have a flickering flame when your car is sitting still at the gas station. And yes, someone has definitely done this. [More]
Pour Out A Bottle Of Ketchup For 40,000 Pounds Of Fries Destroyed In Fire
By 4.23.14
These fries are a little overcooked. In a Walmart parking lot in Maine on Tuesday evening, a tractor-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of frozen Burger King French fries caught fire. destroying the cargo, the truck, and the dreams of the fast food-loving people of New Jersey. [More]
American Airlines Flight Returns To Gate Because No One Wants To Travel In A Flying Ball Of Fire
By 3.24.14
Flight delays are always an inconvenience. But officials at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had a good reason for holding back an early morning American Airlines flight Monday. [More]
Nissan Recalls More Than 13,000 Frontier Trucks, Because No One Likes Their Vehicle To Catch Fire
By 2.24.14
Another week, another vehicle recall. This time Nissan is recalling more than 13,000 Frontier trucks for a potential fire risk. [More]
Fire At Yuengling Brewery Does $1 Million In Damage, Beers Unharmed
By 10.28.13
Here’s some news out of Florida that could have been much more horrible: a storage building at a Yuengling brewery near Tampa caught fire over the weekend. While the facility sustained about $1 million in damage, the company reports that their brewing operations won’t be affected. Repeat: there will be no mass beer shortages. [More]
Sears Re-Announces Recall Of Dehumidifiers Because No One Prefers Fires Over Humidity
By 7.17.13
Would you rather have a humid living environment, or one that’s on fire? Ding ding — we’re pretty sure the owners of 800,000 dehumidifiers sold by Sears would agree with you. The retailer is again reminding consumers of a recall for a product line that had issues last summer, again, over fires linked to using the Kenmore dehumidifiers. Now might be a good time to check on your dehumidifier. [More]
Truckload Of Flaming Cheese Shuts Down Norwegian Highway
By 1.22.13
For five days, hot toxic gases filled the air near a highway in Norway after the contents of a truckload caught fire in a tunnel. The hot temperatures were too dangerous for highway personnel to approach: one told reporters that the material could be “almost like [gasoline] if it gets hot enough.” What was in the truck? Carmelized goat cheese. [More]
United Airlines Plane Catches Fire & Is Safely Evacuated Before Takeoff At Seattle Airport
By 8.13.12
A fire on an airplane is never ever going to be a good thing, but at least in the case of a United Airlines plane at Seattle’s Sea-Tac Airport this weekend, the fire occurred before the plane took off and all passengers were safely evacuated. [More]
My Parents’ House Was Struck By Lightning And Burned Down. What’s Next?
By 7.9.12
When you’ve escaped from a late-night fire and lost your home and all of your belongings with it, what do you do next? That’s what Rudy wants to know, on behalf of his parents. Last week, their house caught fire hours after being hit by lightning. They got out alive, and are about to begin rebuilding their lives. But first: the insurance claim. An adjuster from Allstate is coming today. Rudy wonders whether the Consumerist Hive Mind have experienced this kind of catastrophic loss and massive insurance claim, and have any advice for his family. [More]
Progressive Roadside Assistance Won’t Tow My Car After It Caught Fire
By 6.19.12
Matthew and his family were having a great day in the country until their car caught fire. First they noticed an odd smell…and then the smoke and flames. Eventually the fire department showed up, but their insurance company, Progressive, wouldn’t tow the car because the damage was caused by a fire. Sure, a fire caused by an electrical problem with the car. [More]
Holy Crap, Aerosol Sunscreen Can Set People On Fire
By 6.7.12
They’re two staples of a summer day in the Northeast: a backyard grill and a bottle of sunscreen. Why not reapply some sunscreen before you prepare for a long session cooking some meats? It’s not such a good idea if your sunscreen is the spray-on kind. Sure, the can says “flammable,” but it didn’t occur to a Massachusetts man that this statement is also true after the sunscreen is on your skin, for several minutes after application. He applied some Banana Boat Sport aerosol sunscreen, walked over to his charcoal grill, and was engulfed in flames. He ended up with second-degree burns on his upper body. Way more painful than a sunburn…but no excuse to skip putting on sunscreen. [More]
Learn Thanksgiving Turkey Fryer Safety With William Shatner
By 11.16.11
It’s still a little early to start talking about turkey fryer safety. There’s still a week before most families’ birds even come out of the freezer. But this is no ordinary video: most frying guides don’t feature William Shatner being consumed by a massive computer-generated fireball.
[More]
Geek Squad Thinks Self-Immolating Laptop Just Needs New Parts
By 6.30.11
Daniel has a Black Tie service plan for his laptop, so he dropped it off at Best Buy for what he thought was a simple camera repair. Back at home, he realized something must be wrong when smoke billowed out of the computer. This seems unsafe to Daniel, and he thinks that Geek Squad needs to replace the entire computer instead of just swapping out some parts. Geek Squad disagrees. [More]
